Prevalence of self-reported mental disorders in pregnancy and associations with adverse neonatal outcomes: a population-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders in pregnancy are common causes of morbidity and mortality with associated risks of adverse neonatal outcomes. Our aims were to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported mental disorders in women presenting to maternity services and to determine the association between history of self-reported maternal mental disorder and adverse neonatal outcomes. METHODS: Data on all singleton pregnancies known to maternity services in Northern Ireland over the period 2010 to 2015 were extracted from the Northern Ireland Maternity System (NIMATS), including frequency data for number of pregnancies where the mother reported a history of mental disorder. Odds ratios were derived from logistic regression analyses to determine the associations between self-reported maternal mental disorder and preterm birth, low infant birth weight and APGAR scores. RESULTS: In total, 140,569 singleton pregnancies were registered using NIMATS over this period. In 18.9% of these pregnancies, the mother reported a history of at least one mental disorder. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, significant associations were demonstrated between self-reported maternal mental disorder and preterm birth (odds ratio [OR] 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-1.37), low infant birth weight (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.21-1.38) and APGAR score < 7 at 1 min (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.10-1.19) and 5 min (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.34). CONCLUSIONS: These findings emphasise the critical importance of routine enquiry regarding psychiatric history when women present to maternity services and the impact of maternal mental illnesses upon outcomes for their infants.

It's a WRAP! Delivering wellness for women in the U.K.

Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) was first created by Mary Ellen Copeland in 1997 and reinforced the concept of people taking individual responsibility for their health status and wellbeing. To fuel personal responsibility for one's health status, Mary Ellen purported that it was necessary for the person to tap into their inner drive and resources with a view to owning their health. This concept has been widely accepted and disseminated within the field of mental health but has not yet been fully embraced by other professions, such as midwifery. In this piece, the authors highlight the recovery and wellness ethos inherent in the current zeitgeist of healthcare and discuss how WRAP could be utilised by midwives to facilitate the wellness of women during the antenatal period and beyond.

A strategy for maintaining student wellbeing.

Pre-registration nursing programmes place many challenges on students and these can affect their health and wellbeing. The wellness recovery action plan (WRAP) is a strengths-focused technique to reduce stress and improve health and wellbeing that was initially used in mental health care. This article discusses the potential for using WRAPs to support student nurses, as well as those studying other health professions. They can be used to enhance students' educational and clinical self-awareness, reduce anxiety and vulnerability, and enhance resilience, enabling them to cope more effectively with educational and personal challenges.

A study of quality of life in primigravidae with urinary incontinence.

This study aimed to establish the prevalence and effect of urinary incontinence on quality of life during pregnancy and after parturition. A prospective cohort of primigravidae was recruited. The Kings Health Questionnaire (KHQ) was self-administered antenatally (34 weeks to term) and postnatally (3 months after delivery). Four hundred ninety-two primigravidae were recruited. The prevalence of urinary incontinence was reported as: pre-pregnancy 3.5% (17/492), antenatal 35.6% (175/492), 3-5 days postpartum 13.7% (51/370) and 3 months postnatal 13.0% (47/362). Most women with urinary incontinence experienced an impact on quality of life antenatally (54.3%) and postnatally (71.1%), although those experiencing an impact usually reported it as 'a little' (75.8 and 87.5%). There was a higher prevalence of urinary incontinence after forceps delivery ( p<0.05) but not of greater impairment in quality of life ( p>0.05). Personal and general health deteriorated postnatally ( p<0.05). During pregnancy most women with urinary incontinence experience minimal impact on quality of life. Postnatally, other causes of morbidity may contribute to worsening of general and personal health.